Craft Australia Research Centre
presents, craft·design and the creative industries: An Australian perspective, delivered by Catrina Vignando as part of the Smart Works symposium held at the Powerhouse Museum in March, 2007. The symposium was initiated by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney in association with Grace Cochrane and with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts and explored the effects of shifts in the West away from large manufacturing industries and towards 'creative industries', high-cost commodities and tourist economies.

I congratulate Grace Cochrane, the Powerhouse Museum and the Australia Council for the Arts for developing, presenting and supporting Smart Works design and the hand made and bringing the issues associated with current practice to the broad attention of the general public through this symposium and exhibition.

It is clear that craft practice is changing. This is evidenced by the themes presented in the Smart Works exhibition as well as from current global trends which have also been presented by previous speakers in this symposium.

In this paper I will present an observation of the current trends impacting on Australian craft·design production and give examples of ways that practice is evolving to manage these issues. In this paper I focus specifically on works made for limited production rather than one off works made for the gallery and collector market. I address issues related to the making of this work such as the influences of globalization, the effect of convergent technologies, the growth of online promotion systems through websites, online marketing, e-commerce, blogs and u-tube. And I conclude this daisy chain of impressions, to borrow from Peter Day, with some recommendations and suggestions to stimulate further growth in this area of practice.

Craft Australia is the national peak advocacy and lobby organisation for Australian contemporary craft and design. In 2004 we conducted the first online forum for the craft·design sector titled Interact, contemporary craft in a digital future . This online forum gauged the response to changing craft practice through an online dialogue that engaged Australian makers, educators, students, promoters, collectors and all who are passionate about craft·design practice. Eight issues papers were commissioned by Craft Australia that each addressed different aspects of these changes. Writers included Grace Cochrane, Gilbert Riedelbauch and Peter Hughes all of who are here at the Smart Works Symposium. These papers were the spark for the online dialogue. This extensive online discussion testified conclusively that current contemporary craft·design practitioners engage with new technologies. These new online systems are used to develop, design, market, promote and sell work or a range of all these possibilities. In addition, the online forum indicated the adaptability of craft·design practitioners to engage with the range of issues presented by new technologies and to appropriate relevant aspects for the benefit of their practice.

This is hardly surprising given that craft and technology have historically been inextricably linked. For craft·design practitioners the current technological changes have meant improvements in the way they promote themselves and reach their audiences as well as presenting new possibilities for the design and manufacture of their work.

To gain a broader picture of this phenomenon, the April 2007 issue of Fuel for Arts has this to say about the online revolution.

Recent technological changes have made much wider social changes possible ... In 2006, more than one billion people are connected to the internet and close to 3 billion people carry mobile phones. These technological changes in accessibility of production tools and distribution media have led to social, cultural, economic, and political changes in the ways people communicate and do business.

Globalisation and technological changes have created observable trends that as Peter Day, Filippo Chiesa and Kirtsen Wickman, my fellow speakers mentioned, are creating major changes to the way goods are developed and distributed. For many traditional manufacturing industries this fast pace of change is creating a quasi revolution to the known production systems. What has been a problem for this sector is turning into an opportunity for the creative or creator industries. Generally, these smaller, more flexible, client driven industries have at their core a creative focus to their manufacturing base. So what are the creative industries in Australia and how does craft·design practice fit?

The creative industries is a collective term that identifies the contribution of design, creativity and innovation to the cultural and economic framework. Defined as encompassing visual thinking, risk taking, problem solving and collaboration, the creative industries generally includes the breadth of design practice, new media, computer games, film and music. In this paper I make the argument that current craft.design practice fits very comfortably within this paradigm and deserves greater attention as a considerable contributor to cultural and economic growth in Australia.

In the recent PMSEIC report developed by the Australian government, on the role of creativity in the economy it is argued that

For creativity to become economically productive and its benefits to contribute to the social good, it has to be combined with scientific and professional knowledge and applied with discipline and business wisdom.

From these definitions one could argue that the works represented in Smart Works are completely relevant to the creative industries. That is artists who apply their creativity to achieve innovative outcomes that have cultural as well as economic value; artists whose breadth of practice encompasses the range of approaches and issues identified in the Smart Works exhibition. As Grace Cochrane, the curator of the exhibition, concludes in her catalogue essay for the show, these artists are working smart and smart works.

Having briefly looked at the creative industries definitions and having set the context for the climate of current practice I want to take you on a journey which gives an overview of Australian practice of smart works in action. This brief overview is not conclusive and looks mostly at the work undertaken by the network of Australian Craft Design Centers, ACDC, who are based in each capital city of Australia.

ACDC strategies in action

The following activities demonstrate some of the unique strategies and solutions instigated by members of ACDC in order to promote the work of Australian craft·design artists in a changing, more competitive global arena.

Applied Ideas developed by Craft South in Adelaide is a strategy to link makers and industry. The program had its genesis through Designing Minds a two day symposium and national touring exhibition developed by CraftSouth in 2000. It showcased interior design products and prototypes developed by Australian designer-makers in creative relationships with industry. This program was developed over 6 years ago and grew as a direct response to the needs of makers.

As an outcome of Designing Minds, Craft South established Applied Ideas, an incubator program which aims to support Australian craft and design practitioners. It does this by providing easy to access business advice and support for designer-makers; by providing designer-makers, manufacturers and retailers with an easy to use service that links suitable parties; and by providing training, and e-commerce business development services that add value to their businesses. Applied Ideas is currently in development as an online delivery service.

Designing Futures, developed by FORM Contemporary Craft and Design in Perth is a capacity building program which evolved from a national conference of the same name held in Perth in 2001. Designing Futures seeks to redefine the identity and future of Western Australian craft and design by fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability. As Rebecca Eggleston, Industry Development Manager at FORM pointed out in her Smart Works presentation, Designing Futures is a multilayered program that has established industry clusters in Western Australia's creative communities offering opportunities for skill-sharing and the dissemination of ideas, which in turn encourages greater innovation, holistic growth and sustainable businesses. Clusters have been developed by FORM in various major cities to increase design, production, management and marketing skills within each group.

A recent outcome of this clusters training has been the presentation of work by some cluster participants in the Riches of Isolation exhibition shown in Perth and at the Milan Furniture Fair in the Salone Satellite in 2006. The work of two participants in this clusters program, Chris Robinson and Malcolm Harris, is presented in Smart Works.

Object Australian Centre for Craft and Design based in Sydney is developing and presenting Australian works in exhibitions that tour to national and international venues as their strategy to promote Australian craft·design practice to new audiences. Freestyle: new Australian design for living is the most recent outcome of this strategy. The exhibition was on show in Sydney during the Smart Works exhibition and will tour to other major centre in Australia. An extensive website for ongoing interaction gives greater detail about the venues and the featured artists. The exhibition brings together the work and stories of 40 Australian designers from the fields of furniture, lighting, textiles, homewares, fashion, jewellery and accessories. Handmade one-off and limited edition design objects are showcased alongside industrially manufactured items and prototypes - reflecting the breadth and nature of design excellence and innovation in Australia. This show will tour to international venues as did Global Local which went to London to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2005. These shows have, and continue to provide, a unique and timely overview of contemporary object design in Australia to new audiences.

Craft Queensland, based in Brisbane, is also addressing the international market by targeting export opportunities and events with partners such as Tourism Australia and Austrade, thereby linking Australian craft·design practitioners with new international markets.

Craft Queensland began export partnership program with Tourism Australia, in 2004 and in that year exported the work of nineteen designers to Singapore in a program called Feel the Light. Repeating the project in 2005 with the inclusion of Beijing and Shanghai in the itinerary deepened their penetration into Asian fashion networks and opened up new partnerships.

Both events resulted in eager new audiences, contracts and retail sales, and important new opportunities and networks for Australia's young fashion designers. The designers could not have achieved these breakthroughs on their own. Coming together under Craft Queensland's banner gave them export training plus real experience of Asia's competitive markets.

Jules Tognini, one of the participating fashion designers said.

If you meet the right people at international events like Feel the Light, then doors can just fly open for young Australian designers.

Craft ACT Craft and Design Centre, based in Canberra, has developed a strategy of product launches as part of a suite of programs of support for makers. They provide crucial backing to makers when a new product line is ready for strategic exposure to the marketplace; to secure orders, commissions and introductions to commercial agents and retailers. These launches have been presented with commercial partners who continue to be involved with the retail of the products. Two of the artists who have participated in these launches, Oliver Smith and Jonathan Basket, have work presented in Smart Works.

The glimpse of examples I have presented today is only the tip of the iceberg in relation to the breadth and range of programs that are delivered by the ACDC network in order to assist makers and promote the sector. Further members of the ACDC network to note include Design Centre Tasmania based in Launceston who hold an extensive collection of furniture designed in timber; Craft Victoria in Melbourne who are the mangers of the South project a social networking program that draws on the craft cultures of countries from the southern hemisphere; The Jam Factory in Adelaide who run an extensive studio based training program for post graduates and Territory Craft in Darwin. More information about current ACDC members and the range of projects they deliver can be viewed online on the Craft Australia website which is a portal to the sector.

In relation to the interests in craft·design as a professional career, Craft Australia has addressed the growing entrepreneurship in craft·design practice by hosting its second online forum looking specifically at the direction emerging makers are taking in this field. Titled Youth@craft·design this forum featured the work of emerging mentors who are inspiring new directions in practice. Blanche Tilden with Phoebe Porter and Tom Moore were engaged to discuss mentorships and pathways, Bianca Looney and Oliver Smith address manufacturing issues, High Tea with Mrs Woo and Cesar Cueva from Metalab looked at marketing and Pippa Dickson and Kris Brankovic addressed export. Using a blog format to engage emerging makers in discussion with the mentors, we were able to establish a dynamic dialogue around possible pathways to sustainability in the craft·design field. In turn, this material informs Craft Australia's lobbying activities to Government and other relevant agencies.

Where does this place one off maker practice?

The production of original work is a significant aspect of the Australian craft·design field. There is an extensive system of private and public galleries that support, promote and collect this work. In many ways it can be argued that this is the research end of craft practice, the outcomes of which supports, sustains and inspires the production of design works. This point is excellently demonstrated by the Smart Works exhibition and symposium presentations. In the food chain analogy, if you remove any of the key components you break the life sustaining cycle. Similarly with the craft·design chain; one off practice is vital for the development of designed works. In fact as we have heard, smart works designers regularly cross the boundaries between production and research practice, to evolve their position in the cultural framework.

How is Government supporting such initiatives?

Maker to Manufacture to Market, MMM, was established in 2005 as a strategic initiative by the Australia Council's Visual Arts Board. Based on findings from the Throsby/Hollister report, Don't give up your day job, the program encourages Australian designers to commercialise a prototype product, take it to market and earn income.

To date, six Australian craft.design makers have received $30,000 each to develop their design prototype and take it to market. Recipients include designers from a diverse range of product areas including wallpaper design, objects for interiors, tableware, street furniture and ceramic tiles. The MMM initiative aims to increase the engagement of Australian designers with the manufacturing sector, resulting in the production of more innovative products being released into the local and global markets.

The project aims to assist in ways that programs such as NESCA in the UK have done by capacity building through seed funding at the R&D stage of the program. This initiative by the Australia Council is a critical development for the sector that will enable the sector to leverage additional support for product research and development. This in turn will be an incentive for manufacturers to take the risk with new designers and their products.

Many State Government agencies have also seen the value of investing in start up programs aimed at makers and industry. While there is not the space to elaborate on them in this paper, much information can be found on state government websites.

In Conclusion

Australia and New Zealand have a very dynamic sector of designer makers working smartly. How do we sustain this growth and maintain our position culturally and economically?

As demonstrated by the Smart Works exhibition and the range of programs I have mentioned, of which these are only a small sample, craft·design practice demonstrates a viable solution to the traditional manufacturing sector. Contemporary craft·design embraces the flexibility of current creative industries values such as entrepreneurship, promotion of products through online interfaces, flexible manufacturing and distribution structures and value adding with other industries.

There are three key areas that I have identified as critical to sustaining this vibrant practice.

We need some figures to see what the economic return of this practice is? The statistics on what this sector returns to the Australian economy has not been plotted to any great depth. Such figures help to gain a picture of what the sector looks like in the broader field of economic language. Put simply, what are the current returns for the investment made? This information will also assist to leverage investment for the sector.

Craft·design needs to be better recognised as a significant player in the creative industries paradigm. This will enable the sector to access some of the research and development schemes that are available through the government's innovation program. Currently the lion share of R&D programs preference the science, engineering and technology fields with little flowing to the arts and humanities. But, as I argued earlier, craft·design practice encompasses use of technology, engineering as well as delivering creative and cultural outputs.

The basis of this success is over thirty years of solid training in a range of craft disciplines. This has mostly been at tertiary level and has encompassed media based tuition that takes in all aspects of materials knowledge, technical information, history of the medium and conceptual and design training. Hand made, refers to this haptic awareness about materials and their application and interaction with the user. It is critical for the advancements in this field to continue that training institutions embrace this, and not privilege the intellect to the detriment of haptic knowledge.

Catrina Vignando
General Manager
Craft Australia
April 2007